A procedure, in the context of programming and computer science, is a set of instructions designed to perform a specific task. It is a block of code that can be executed repeatedly and is often used to organize and structure the code in a more readable and maintainable way. Here are some key points about procedures:
1. Functionality: Procedures are used to encapsulate a series of steps that need to be executed together to achieve a specific outcome.
2. Reusability: Once a procedure is defined, it can be called multiple times from different parts of the program, which saves time and effort in coding.
3. Modularity: Procedures help in breaking down a complex problem into smaller, manageable parts, making the code more modular and easier to understand.
4. Types of Procedures:
Procedures without Return Values: These are known as subroutines or procedures. They perform an action and then return to the point where they were called.
Procedures with Return Values: These are functions. They perform an action and return a value to the caller.
5. Syntax:
In many programming languages, procedures are defined using a specific syntax. For example:
```python
def my_procedure():
Code to be executed
```
```java
public void myProcedure() {
// Code to be executed
